St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-11
STAGE GOSSIP.
NOVELTIES THAT DID NOT BREAh
THE SUMMER DULLNESS.

NOVELTIES THAT DID NO1 bNE+Ah
THE SUMNER DULLSESS.
Features of the Week at the New YORK
Theatres-Light Opera Still Maintain
ing Itself in Favor Despite Warm
weather-Career of a Baltimore Girl.
New YORK, June 2-We have had only
two novelties in the theatrical line dur
ing the past fortnight, and neither OF
those has moved us from our state OF
summer lethargy. Indeed, one of the
pair of alleged new plays was dlsap-
pointment of the most exasperatlng
character. When you are enticed into
theatre by the promise of strictly new
plav, and when to see that new play you
sit and swelter through four long hours
of sultry summer afternoon, think
YOU have right to feel at outs with the
author who Willingly dupes you. Every
BODY who was a sufferer through the
three long acts of Fair Fame" at the
Madison square few days ago agrees
that Mr.. Clinton Stuart was not fair
sort of dramatist. There is no reason
WHY he should not be. Certainly he has
had experience enough to know that the
playwright who keeps his word with the
theatre-goers is the one whose future is
always the brightest. Besides, Mr.. Stuart
has had every reason to treat the New
York play patrons with becoming
fairness, for it is not long since they
gave his comedy, "Our Society," the
warmest kind of a send-off. Naturally,
then, when he announced "Fair Fame
for a special matinee at the Madison
square and heralded it vaguely as IAN
adaptation from the French of Alex. Du-
mas" he led his friends to expect rev
elation and perhaps a treat. They did
not get either, for Fair Fame" turned
out to be simply wea and paltry dis
galse of Dumas nasty play, Denise, l
think it was three years ago that l saw
Clara Morris try her consummate skill
with this shocking drama at DAILY S
Theatre Somebody or other had done the
translation and Augustin DAILY completed
the work of adaptation; for which,by the
way, he charged Miss Morris such a
pretty penny that they afterward went
to law about it, and for a time there
were interesting developments as to
Dalv's literary methods. The trouble
has never vet been amicably adjusted, L
believe.
did not hear how much money it cost
| Clara Morris to experiment with
"Denise,' but | am quite certain that she
! lost good round sum before she finished
that notable summer season at DAILY 5.
| In the face of her failure am surprised
at Clinton Stuart's attempt at resurrec-
ton, particularly so because Mr.. Stuart
| is an actor whose admiration for Clara
! Morris should have warned him, and
! whose knowledge as a correspondent
! ought to have kept track OF the 'Denlse
! tiasco. As it is, Fair Fame" will never
again be heard Of, you may be sure. The
critics blew it to pieces next morning
and with it, am sorry to say, good
piece of "Walsingham' Stuarts reputa
ton took to wings.
The remaining novelty of late date has
been "On the Rio Grande," not alto
gether bad melodrama by Colonel Keys
and Mark Price, the latter an actor OF
ripe experience and one Of the best i'm
personators of heavy villains have eve1
seen on this stage. The piece was played
at Harry Miners Peoples Theatre, where
the smells on hot night are worse thai
anv or all of the Cologne stenches O
which we hear so much about. But II
spite of persplration and too marrow
seats rather liked "On the Rio Grande.'
Certainly there was no lack of homes
endeavor on the part of the actors in tn
piece, chief among whom were Ed
Laub, comedian from way back, ant
Price himself, the latter, by the way,
factory boy of thirty years ago and
hard-working fellow all his life.
John McCaull made change this weel
at Wallack's to "Falka," that mirthfu
opera of Paul DeChassaigne's, which w
heard for the first time two years ago a
the Casino, where McCaull then had tn
upper hand. Since then that busy ant
shrewd young manager, Rudolph Aron
son. has had beneath the Casino roo
many of the people who had made tn
McCaull successes, but to ''Falka," merr,
"Falka," there at least remains littl
Alfred Klein, whose Pelican was tn
most unctuous impersonation OF bibu
lous monk New York has ever laughe
at At Wallack's this week, kleln ha
easily repeated his hit of 'S5, and in othe
respects "Falka" has been excellent
sung.
The Duff Company have revive
''Iolanthe' at the Standard, where Lillia
Russell is singing Phyllis as demurely a
if no angry costumer had ever dared t
sue her this week for a tive-year- -ol
debt At the Grand, Rose Coghlan
playing week in her familiar and wei
liked repertory, and at the Harlel
, Comique the "Fantasma' Compan,,
J owned by the Hanlons, are closing the
season, which I am told has been one {
almost continuous profit. Besides thes
changes, we have had Edwin Arden, tn;
,, promising young star, at the Windsor
!, the perennially popular "Uncle Tom
Cabin" at the Third avenue, and Willlal
Cullington in "For Congress" at Poole
popular-price theatre. Cullington, | mu
not forget to add, hopes the day will 500
come when the world of play-goers Wi
hail him successor to John T. Raymon
> Thus far his prospects are not alarming
; bright. Six of our amusement resor
are now closed for the summer-Harr
gan's, the Thalia, Fifth-avenue, Acaden
of Music and Metropolitan Opera Hous
l, Sc 1Sofxx